One of the central themes of Purim is the acknowledgment that the order the we treasure in our lives is as precarious a blessing as any we can imagine. The entire holiday features numerous inversions of that order – from the myriad role revearsals in the Book of Esther to the costumes and hidden identities that feature in the story and in our celebrations. These role reversals and moments of revelatory chaos remind us that the universe is not completely under our control – a message even more crucial in our day when we have attempted to subdue the very forces of nature to fulfill our every whim.

Here, then, is a fun and unique way to embrace the topsy-turvy world of Purim through our tastebuds!

Some of you may have seen the coverage recently of the miracle fruit – a tiny berry from West Africa whose juice contains a chemical compound called miraculin, which temporarily short-circuits our tastebuds so that the sourest foods are as sweet as candy.

If you search online, you can find numerous reputable vendors of this berry, or of tablets containing the dried pulp of the berry (I can personally vouch for the tablets, which are cheaper and keep longer than the berries themselves). Once you let the juice or tablet dissolve on your tongue, your whole world of taste perceptions are turned upside down! So why not whip up a batch of hamentaschen whose fillings take advantage of this mischievous little berry, and have an adloyada eating party this Purim?

Here are some suggestions for miracle fruit-enhanced fillings:

• sour pickle relish
• kumquat, grapefruit or lemon slices topped with tabasco
• feta cheese and vinegar
• greek yogurt with unsweetened cocoa powder

Wash it all down with a Guinness/lemon sorbet float, and you’re in business! The possibilities are endless. Feel free to share your own topsy-turvy Purim recipes, and the results of your taste experiments!